SF Veterans Mural Project (Veterans Alley)

District #6

The San Francisco Veterans Mural Project(Veterans Alley) is a grass-roots art project created in October 2011 by 2 disabled U.S. Military Veterans, Amos Gregory and Gilbert Lovato. The project utilizes the walls of a public alleyway located on Shannon Street, in the Tenderloin. Veterans Alley contains murals painted by veterans which will tell their story. Thus far, the project has covered over 30,000 square feet of wall space containing murals, and veterans alley has hosted hundreds of veterans, the supporters and the community-at-large in the painting of these murals. The significance of this project is that art regarding veterans is very often done by artists that are not veterans. This alley gives veterans a permanent voice and presence within the community. The SF Veterans Mural Project works with all veterans regardless of discharge status, gender, sexual orientation, theater of conflict or time period served. Any veteran worldwide will have an opportunity to propose and paint THEIR OWN MURAL IN THIS ALLEY. Key Highlights of the project are: Individual veteran mural painting (Year-Round)Photography/Videography Project (Year-round)Digital Storytelling project (Year-Round)Summer Youth Mural Painting Camp (Summer 2014)Community Street Mural (Summer 2014) The project is planning to create a community art center, in the Tenderloin, during the fall of 2014. The center will facilitate the creation of storytelling utilizing photography, videography, poetry and performance. The community center will be open to both veterans and non-veteran residents to celebrate their own stories.